A Knight in Sailor's Clothing
by Benit149
Summary: Twisting the tale on Eleanor the sick child of Herlie, an unexpected character from only Rena's Private Actions takes the stand to cure Eleanor.


  
  

Go Canada.   
www.sympatico.ca 

A KNIGHT IN SAILOR'S CLOTHING

Eleanor had been frail ever since she could remember. She was now approaching seven years of age, and she knew it would only be another year of hopeless doctors' visits, looking out the window, her mother taking care of her, and Eleanor never being able to leave her bed. 

Eleanor did once leave her bed before to try out her walking. Her spirit rose high lying down, but after actually trying it, her legs became noodles, not being able to keep her straight on her feet. She crawled back into her bed in despair, giving up hope of recovery. Worse, not only was her strength weak, but also her organs like her lungs, heart, and liver. Her appetite was terrible. 

Eleanor knew that if she had any hope left, she would get well, but she dumped it all after collapsing onto the ground that fateful day. 

So why was Eleanor still alive? 

****

Yul, an apprentice sailor in the town of Herlie, walked around brusquely while enjoying the sea breeze. The days were never better for him ever since he gave up fighting Zand's minions. Not only did they outnumber him, but they overdid him in terms of strength. The only thing he could be proud of was his wit. 

Now, Yul gave up fighting in order to stay with his apprenticeship of sailoring; the one dream he held on to tightly ever since he was little. No one ever took him seriously because he was violent and sarcastic, but now that he achieved his dream, everyone looked at him in a new light. Even Zand's minions began to leave him alone. It had been months since Yul was last picked on by those guys. 

Yul had nothing to do that day because the waves and winds were too rough for sailing. He took a stroll through town. That's when he glanced up and saw something fluttering out of the window of a house. 

It was a hankerchief. Yul jumped up and caught it, noticing its delicate pattern of pretty rainbows. 

"This is cute," he commented. "And this is the house of the girl with the incurable disease as well. I always wanted to find an excuse to see her, but I always backed down. I'm such a wimp." 

Yul knocked on the door. Eleanor's mother, Harriet, answered. "What may I do for you?" 

"I believe this fell out of your daughter's window. It looked too pretty to throw away," Yul said, presenting the hankerchief. 

"Why, yes! That's Eleanor's favourite hankerchief! She's always fond of rainbows. I don't know how she would feel if she lost it! Come in, come in. I'm sure she'll be happy to have a visitor!" Harriet exclaimed. 

Yul walked in and followed Harriet upstairs to Eleanor's room. There, the sick child was crying. 

"What's wrong, Elly? Does your chest hurt again?" her mother asked. 

"No, I lost my lovely 'chief," Eleanor sobbed. 

"Don't worry, sweetie. This nice man found it for you and wanted to return it to you," she said, introducing Yul to Eleanor. The little girl looked up to see the sailor handing her hankerchief. She took it and hugged it tightly. 

"Thank you, Big Brother Yul." 

"That's weird. I've never been called a brother before," Yul chuckled. "I've always heard that little sisters are bratty, but you're too cool to be like that. Is that thing like a stuffed doll to you?" 

Eleanor was confused. "What's a stuffed doll?" 

"Oh.. um..." Yul didn't know what to say. Dolls weren't his forte. "... like a comfortable possession." He thought, _Great, I sounded cheesy right there._

Eleanor giggled and replied, "Of course. My lovely 'chief and I are never apart. I love rainbows, and my lovely 'chief is the only source of comfort for me because it has rainbows on it." 

"I see. Kinda cute, isn't it?" Yul asked. 

"It's the cutest thing in the world! But big Brother... if you see me next time, will you show me what a stuffed doll is?" Eleanor requested. 

Yul scratched his head. He was always forced to think like a man, but like a little girl was beyond his fathom. Still, when he looked at Eleanor, Yul started to think that the impossible was possible. "Absolutely. I'll find you a stuffed doll you'll never forget." 

"Oh, thank you, brother Yul!" she said weakly, then yawned. "I'm getting kinda sleepy. Can I go to sleep now?" 

"Sure. Sleep tight." 

Eleanor fell fast asleep before Yul and Harriet even knew it. Harriet told Yul, "Thank you for coming. I never knew that she didn't know what dolls were. I've been so focused on her recovery and my sanity that I haven't had the time." 

"Well, I'll definitely come back with a present for her, ma'am," Yul told her. He said his good-byes to her before leaving Eleanor's house in a mixed mood. Delighted because he finally met the sick child, but guilty because he couldn't do anything. Finally, Yul came to a conclusion; 

"I'll find someone who can. I'm a sailor, so I can go across the horizon! I'm sure of it..." 

****

A few days after Yul's visit to Eleanor, his crew heard the news; they were going to Linga to pick up some schooling supplies for a new university being built in Cross. Yul recalled that Linga was home to many scholars and the only university, perhaps, in the world. He hoped that one of those scholars had their degree in Advanced Medicine and Herbs. 

His ship departed that morning. It was a routine trip to Port Hilton, but Yul had trouble keeping his excitement down. One of his friends asked him, "Hey, you okay?" 

"Maybe he's got ants in his pants!" another one joked. 

"So what if I do?" Yul defended, then lied, "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to see the University of Linga!" 

"Dude, that town's full of eccentrics. It's best to stay near the sea, where you can breathe seawater. What those geeks breathe are books, books, and more books. How dull is that for a life?" 

"Certainly gives them cancer in the head if they have too much brain food!" the second laughed jokingly. 

Yul ignored them and concentrated on his assigned duties... along with his personal ones. 

****

Yul's crew took the beaten path to Linga by horseback, some of the horses driving carriages that would carry their intended load of books. Finally, they arrived in the dusty town of Linga. The first friend of Yul's sneezed. 

"Man, talk about rustic backwaters. Kind of reminds me of Arlia's boredom and Salva's dust combined." 

"You said it, partner," Yul's second friend said. "But we might as well rough it. We'll only be here for a day." 

Yul abandoned them and headed for the nearest pharmacy, which was run by an elderly woman. "Excuse me, but do you know any professional pharmacists in this town?" 

"Of course, my child. There are two, but one's a wannabe, the other is expert at what he does." 

"Who's the expert?" 

"His name is Bowman Jean. He and his wife Nineh run a pharmacy just up there. Why do you need to see him?" the woman asked. 

"Oh, I know someone who's sick. I wanted to peruse his assisstance before it's too late for her," Yul admitted. He left without saying another word. The woman commented to herself, "What a lad that child is! My goodness, even with the Sorcery Globe falling, there are still good people in this world!" 

****

"What? A child with an incurable disease?" Bowman Jean repeated Yul's words. He nodded disdainfully and explained Eleanor's condition that Harriet told him earlier. Bowman rubbed his chin. 

"Quite extraordinary symptoms. Those doctors she saw certainly weren't trained from Linga, or else they would've known immediately," he said. 

"You mean you know a cure to Eleanor's illness!?" Yul exclaimed, catching a glimpse of hope. 

"Like I said, it's a unique case. I'd have to investigate the books here at the university to see if I can come up with something. Granted, there are legendary herbs, but they are only of legend. Still, one must try," Bowman said, leaving his house to travel to the university. 

Nineh Jean, Bowman's wife, entered the living room with some tea. "I heard everything. Such a tragic tale. But I'm glad you found out about my husband. They say he's the best at pharmaceuticals." 

Yul nodded. He suddenly recalled something. "Miss Jean, um...?" 

"What is it?" 

"I promised Eleanor that I'd get her a stuffed doll, but those girl toys aren't exactly my kind of thing, if you know what I mean..." he admitted, blushing and scratching the back of his head. 

Nineh giggled. "Well, I'm a girl. I remember playing with lots of dolls when I was little. Granted, the fashion has changed, but I'm sure we could find something in Lacour. Are you staying overnight?" 

"Yes. I have free time to go to Lacour if they have such a store for dolls," Yul said. 

"Oh, Lacour has everything! Come, I'll leave Bowman a note and we can go. By the way, does Eleanor have any special request in mind for her doll?" Nineh asked. 

"Well," he recalled, "she likes rainbows a lot." 

"That should be easy in such a colourful town, wouldn't you agree?" 

"... sure." 

****

The moon was full when Yul and Nineh returned from Lacour with several wrapped packages. He stretched and plumped back into the couch to rest his tired feet. Nineh caught sight of a different, longer note in Bowman's writing. 

_Nineh, I think I may have found a chance for Eleanor's health, but I had to venture into the Sanctuary of Linga to find the herb in question. It may be there, it may be not, but I'll be sure to return home in time for supper. XOXOXOXOXO... Bowman._

Nineh shook her head as she let Yul read the note. He ejaculated, "Why, this is wonderful! But isn't the Sanctuary packed with monsters?" 

"Oh, don't worry. Bowman may look meek, but he's actually a black belt in martial arts. He's gone down there tons of times to find common and rare herbs and spices," Nineh explained. 

"Whoa... no one saw THAT one coming..." he commented meekly. "A martial arts doctor. Remind me to pay my bill on time." 

Nineh laughed. "Oh, Yul! You're so funny! But Bowman isn't that cruel as you think he is. Anyway, I suppose he'll take awhile, so I suggest we retire for the night. That shopping took out so much of my strength! You may sleep in our spare room, Yul." 

"Are you sure? I haven't done anything worthy of this kind of gratitude," Yul said. 

"Oh, of course you did! Bowman has been bored for quite some time, not having encountered a medical challenge for some time. Besides, you're saving a stranger's life! Not even all of Expel can stand up to such expectation! Come, let's sleep. Bowman obviously won't be around for dinner," Nineh sighed and retreated to the master bedroom. 

Yul sighed as he watched the fire crackle and weaken, the bright flames turning into dull embers, and still he watched blindly. 

"Eleanor... don't give up yet," Yul whispered. Before he knew it, he accidentally fell asleep on the couch. 

****

The stars twinkled bright and the moon shone pearly white when Bowman slipped into the dark home silently. He flicked only the dimmest lights on to find Yul asleep on the couch. The fire was gone by now. 

Bowman grasped in his hand an herb that he grudgingly managed to find after all those hours in the Sanctuary. He rubbed a tender bruise and cringed when he felt the pain. Still, he knew it was worth it. 

_Now to compound this into a liquid for proper injection,_ the pharmacist thought and went into the other room so as not to disturb Yul. 

This task took another good, grueling hour of the night. Finally, Bowman pulled off his antiseptic gloves and held the vial of green liquid to the light. 

"There," he whispered, "a Metox vial. Tomorrow, I'll be off to Herlie. Hmm... better keep Nineh company until then." 

Bowman chuckled, carefully set the vial down safely so it wouldn't break, and crept upstairs to his wife, brushing his unkempt hair with his fingers. 

****

Eleanor was having a nightmare. Within it, Eleanor tried to run, but her jogging was as slow as molasses on the coldest January day. She tried to reach her mother, but Harriet looked at her daughter darkly and disappeared. 

"Mommy!" she cried. 

Eleanor became scared and ran in a different direction, this time towards her deceased father. 

"Daddy!" she whimpered, only to see him fading as well. 

Another direction. This time, she saw Yul standing at the pier. 

"Big Brother Yul! Don't leave me!" Eleanor screamed. Unfortunately, Yul vanished from view. Even the scenery turned black and silent. She took out her hankerchief and rubbed it against her face, only for a super strong gale to blow it away into the darkness, leaving the frightened child by herself. 

"I'm alone... Mommy! Daddy! Big Brother! Lovely 'chief! Where are you!? I wanna go home! I WANNA GO HOOOMMMEEE!!!" 

Eleanor screamed into the darkness and found herself awake. Her mother had turned the lamp on and shook Eleanor awake after hearing her screams. 

"Eleanor! Eleanor, I'm right here! You're home! Sweetie, don't cry, the nightmare's over," Harriet reassured her daughter, hugging her closely. Harriet remembered that Eleanor had this nightmare of everyone disappearing repeatedly; it almost became chronic. Eleanor's sobbing broke Harriet's heart. 

"Mommy... will you promise never to leave me?" Eleanor weeped. 

"I promise. I'll never leave you. I'm not as cruel as a nightmare." 

****

Daybreak came. The sunlight breaking through the silk curtains caught Yul's sleeping eye with annoying red light trying to disturb him. It did, and he rubbed his eyes before opening them. 

"Ugh... morning already? I thought I fell asleep five minutes ago..." Yul moaned pitifully. 

He heard footsteps descending down the stairs. Nineh and Bowman walked up to Yul. 

"Good morning, Yul. Did you sleep well last night?" Nineh asked him. 

"Like a baby." 

"Naturally, or he would've heard me working last night," Bowman said. Yul blinked in confusion. 

"Working?" 

"Yes, I successfully managed to find the Metox herb, but not without a fight," the doctor said, rubbing the bruise. 

"Bowie, I told you not to touch your wounds! Do you want them to get better or worse!?" Nineh scolded him as she prepared some tea. 

"Yes, Mom," Bowman jokingly muttered. He retrieved the Metox vial and fondled it with care as he and Yul sat down at the table. 

"Is that stuff going to be able to cure Eleanor?" Yul asked Bowman. 

"There is a chance. From the symptoms you told me yesterday, those weren't ordinary. Too many illnesses to be a cold, not paralysis, bad nightmares, painful organs... I didn't think organ donation would help her at all because it's her whole body that's infected with this disease. Worse, this is a rare, genetic disorder. No other herb, however, tackles the very strands of DNA to fight the ailment than Metox. That's why I painstakingly tried to find it," Bowman explained. 

Yul cringed. "At least you spared me the medical journal's description." 

Bowman laughed. "A sailor doesn't need to be involved in the world of textbooks. I am lightly jealous of your freedom, but only some. I am happily married, and I'm glad I don't have kids... yet." 

Nineh brought the tea over while remarking, "Of course, Bowie. I don't want our children to get your perverse habits until you grow out of it. Then we can see about children." 

Now it was Bowman's turn to cringe. "Perverse? Come on, I'm not a gazer!" 

"Claude told me all about the time both of you gazed at women in Cross Town. It should be a shame, but I laughed when he said that Rena caught the both of you," his wife explained. 

By now, Yul was laughing full-force at Bowman's embarrassment. 

"Gazing... in Cross? You know those littluns... always playing jokes on my kind of nice folk... eh heh heh heh..." he muttered quickly and nervously. 

****

Later that day, Bowman, Yul, and Yul's two friends boarded the horses to return to Hilton and ride the ship back to Herlie. 

"Hey, why's that guy coming with us?" Yul's first friend wondered earlier. 

"Because he's going to try and save that girl with the incurable disease in Herlie. He decided to hitch a ride with us," Yul explained. 

"I hope you have a fee or permission or something pertininent, Old Man. They won't let you on, otherwise," Yul's second friend warned. 

"Well, for your information, this 'Old Man' is good friends with the Captain of your ship. I'll just pay him a hefty sum and he'll let me on easily. Got any more sarcastic comments, 'Kids'?" Bowman snapped, annoyed at being labelled 'old' at 27 years old. 

The two friends remained silent. 

Now, on their way to Hilton, the trip was ridden in silence. A couple of hours later, the group arrived at Hilton with a large shipment of Linga textbooks and a doctor to go along with it. 

"Hey, Bowman! How long has it been?" Yul's captain greeted his old friend. 

"It must've been when we were in college and getting drunk," Bowman replied, scratching his head. "That, or when I met Nineh." 

"Yeah, we kinda drifted apart," the captain said, gesturing to his ship, "... literally." 

The two men continued their conversation as the three sailors performed their task of carrying the massive load of books into the ship. That took another good half an hour of exercise. Yul managed to sneak in the presents he bought for Eleanor yesterday. 

"Sir..." Yul's first friend huffed, "we've... loaded... the books... now." 

"Good work, boys. Come, the sea calls us! Let us answer!" the captain exclaimed as he, Bowman, Yul, and his friends boarded the ship for Herlie. 

****

About three-fourths the way through the ship's journey, Eleanor herself was looking out the window peacefully, hugging her hankerchief closely. Her nightmare last night wasn't uncommon, but it still frightened her every time she had it. 

Eleanor's bliss was interrupted with a sharp pain in her abdomen, like someone was sticking and continuing to shove a butcher knife into her body. More of those imaginary knives wracked her body, and she moaned in desperation to make it stop. 

"Moommmyyy...." Eleanor wailed. Harriet rushed up the stairs to her bedside. 

"What's the matter!?" 

"My tummy hurts! No, I think my leg is! No, now my back! Oh, Mommy, make it stop!" 

"Hang on, sweetheart! I'll get the doctor!" 

Harriet rushed downstairs in a frenzied panic, thoughts rushing through her mind so fast, she couldn't remember what she was thinking a second ago. Was it Eleanor's day today? Did her efforts to save her daughter become useless? Wasn't anyone around to save Eleanor? What would she do if Eleanor died? Harriet would be a childless, depressed widow! 

She was determined not to let that happen. 

Harriet managed to find the doctor and, in a dazed panic, exclaimed the situation to him. He told her to calm down and she guided him to her house. Once there, the doctor examined Eleanor. This took a few grim, long, tense minutes for Harriet as she heard Eleanor moan louder with each passing minute. 

Finally, the doctor sighed and replied, "I'm sorry, Harriet. I don't know how to tell you this, but... if these unknown symptoms continue, your daughter will most likely die by sundown." 

"No! No! No, Tria, why did this have to happen to my child!? WHY!?" Harriet sobbed, collapsing to her knees. 

The doctor clutched her shoulder and hissed, "Harriet, pull yourself together! I know you are Eleanor's grieving mother, but you must keep your cool. You daughter doesn't want to see you upset, for that will only make her upset in return. A parent-child relationship is parallell with it comes to emotions." 

"If only a miracle could happen..." Harriet whispered before wiping her eyes clean with a tissue. "But I never believed in miracles..." 

****

The ship docked at three in the afternoon in Herlie. 

"Captain, sir, I request permission to guide Mr. Jean to the sick child's home," Yul requested formally to the captain. 

"Let it be so. But be back soon, for the others need help with the cargo." 

"Yes, sir!" Yul and Bowman jumped off the ship, and the sailor showed Bowman the way to Eleanor's house. 

"Do you have the vial?" Yul asked anxiously, hugging the presents he bought for Eleanor. 

Bowman laughed. "Yul, you asked me that twice on the ship! It's still in my pocket, it's not going to run away." 

They both entered the home without knocking and found no one downstairs. Perplexed, they stepped upstairs to find the devastaing scene before them. Harriet recognized Yul and exclaimed, "Yul! Thank Tria you came! Eleanor has been moaning in severe pain!" 

"WHAT!?" Yul dropped the packages without realizing it and rushed to Eleanor's bedside. Bowman blinked in shock. 

"How long has she been in pain, ma'am?" he questioned her. 

"Are you a liscensed doctor?" the other doctor asked Bowman. 

"Yes, a certified pharmascist from Linga." 

Harriet responded to Bowman's question with, "She just suddenly cried out in pain from out of nowhere about... half an hour ago. The Herlie doctor said that Eleanor only has until sundown to live if those pains don't subside!" 

"Hmm... then I better adminster the vial immediately. Please step aside, Yul," Bowman ordered. 

"Vial? Of what?" the Herlie doctor wondered. 

"Of Metox." 

"Metox!? The legendary DNA-reversing herb!? That's... that's a miracle!" 

"Hold it. It might work, or it might not. But this is the only solution I came up with after Yul told me about Eleanor's situation," Bowman replied, filling a syringe with the Metox liquid. Yul stepped to Harriet's side as they watched Bowman inject the Metox through a vein in Eleanor's arm. 

A few minutes later, Eleanor's moaning silenced down to quiet rest, indicating that something must've happened. 

Bowman stood up and broke the heavy silence by saying, "I suggest you go downstairs and wait to see what happens with Eleanor. Do you want to take over, doctor, or should I stay with her?" 

"No, you can stay. I have some vital appointments to keep today," the Herlie doctor replied before departing Harriet's residence. 

Yul and Harriet descended downstairs, leaving Bowman to inspect Eleanor's condition. 

****

Two hours later... 

Yul paced around the room nervously, waiting for Bowman to come down and report the results. He already finished unloading the cargo of textbooks to keep himself busy, but now he was incredibly bored. Harriet drummed her fingers against each other in anxiety, passive and pale. 

Finally, they heard footsteps. Yul and Harriet bolted their heads around to find Bowman coming down. 

"Is she alright!? Is Eleanor saved!?" Harriet exclaimed. 

Silence. Bowman's expression didn't change for a few seconds. 

"Bowman?" Yul tried to reach him. 

Bowman raised a clenched fist. 

A thumb raised. 

A smile broke through on his face. 

"She made it," he finally announced. 

_"I don't believe it!!! My daughter has been saved!"_ Harriet shrieked. She caught Bowman in a bear hug for a few minutes. Yul rushed upstairs to see Eleanor. There he found the little girl wobbily walking a few successful paces. She saw him and tried to run to him, but tripped. To Yul's surprise, Eleanor picked herself back up! 

"Big Brother!" she shouted happily, crying as she hugged the sailor. 

"Hey there! Looking great, I see!" he commented, too happy to be sarcastic at the moment. 

"I never knew walking would be this wonderful!" 

"Careful, now. You need to practise walking so you don't trip all the time." 

Eleanor picked up her rainbow hankerchief, which triggered something in Yul's memory. 

"Hey, Elly. I'll be right back. I've got a little surprise for you," Yul said, running back downstairs. There, he saw Bowman trying to calm down an overjoyed Harriet, but he didn't pay too much mind as he scooped up the presents he bought in Lacour and raced back up. 

Eleanor wondered about the packages. "What are those?" 

Yul smiled and handed them to her. "Remember that stuffed doll I promised you? Well, I got some help and managed to get lots of stuffed toys. I remembered that you like rainbows, so I got these for you." 

Eleanor ripped open the first box, carefully saving the hologram rainbow wrapping paper for herself. She gasped. "So... this is a stuffed doll? It's cute!" 

"Not only that... notice the logo?" Yul pointed to the logo on the box. 

Eleanor blinked. "There's such a thing as Rainbow Brite?" 

"Yep. I heard it's popular amongst little girls like you. Check out the other packages!" Yul pointed to the many other wrapped gifts. Eleanor carefully opened those ones as well... in fact, she took so long that Yul had to help her open them as well. 

"Cool! There's a kid for every colour of the rainbow! Oh, Big Brother, thank you very very very much!" Eleanor exclaimed, grasping Yul into another hug again. 

"Don't mention it! Do you have any idea how hard it was to find the Indigo doll for you? That was the most expensive!" Yul commented, rubbing his head at the memory of the tenacious search he and Nineh went through. "And there are more characters, but I couldn't find them all. I promise I'll find you those dolls on your birthday or at Christmas or some other nice event. For now, enjoy these ones." 

"I think I only need these eight stuffies!" Eleanor giggled, toying around with the Shy Violet and Indigo dolls. She then wrapped the Rainbow Brite doll with her hankerchief as if it was a blanket. 

"Nah, I know a girl's mind. They always want more," Yul commented. 

Eleanor blinked and giggled, "Why? You a girl too?" 

"Wha??? Elly!" the sailor exclaimed jokingly. 

"Just kidding! You know I love ya, Big Brother! So what do you want to play?" 

"Hmmm..." Yul gave it some thought. "How about a game where there's lots of walking? I know! I'll roll the toys down the stairs, and you gotta go down and catch them for me, then come back up." 

"Okay! Last one there is a rotten sashimi!" Eleanor giggled, beating Yul to the stairs. 

****THE END****


End file.
